#archive find

[paralleljulieverse]

From the Archives: Introducing 'Little Miss Julia Wells' (1939)

In what may be the earliest known press mention of Julie Andrews, The Parallel Julieverse has unearthed a charming newspaper article from the Surrey Advertiser and County Times, dated 24 June 1939.

Nestled deep in a society column describing a fundraising garden fête in Walton-on-Thames, one brief line stands out:

“Miss Burke commended the object of the fete, and was afterwards handed a bouquet by little Miss Julia Wells, who also handed another to Mrs Miskin.”

At just three years and nine months old, “Julia Wells”—as Julie was then known—was living in the Walton area with her parents, Ted and Barbara Wells. The family had deep roots in the community, and performance was already woven into their daily lives.

As Julie later recalled in her memoir Home (2008, p. 10ff), her mother Barbara, an accomplished pianist, and her aunt Joan Morris, a dancer and percussionist, often performed together at local events. By the late 1930s, Joan had established a thriving dance troupe for local juveniles, and both sisters were key figures on the Walton–Hersham amateur circuit. Julie’s father, Ted, was also regularly roped in to help behind the scenes, crafting scenery and props (ibid., p. 19ff).

On this occasion, Joan’s troupe was among the featured performers at the garden fete. While there is no record of Julie performing that day, she was given a small ceremonial role: presenting flowers to the fête’s guest of honour, actress Patricia Burke, and to the hostess, Mrs Miskin. It was certainly among the earliest occasions on which young Julia was enlisted in one of Aunt Joan’s productions — a pattern that would repeat in various forms throughout her childhood.

In a serendipitous twist, Patricia Burke would cross paths with Julie again in 1950. By then, the 15-year-old Andrews was a rising star, honoured at a publicity event hosted by impresario Lawrence Wright. Burke was among the older female performers present to toast the young star. One wonders: did she recognise the poised teenage Julie Andrews as the same little girl who had once shyly handed her flowers at a Walton garden fête in the summer of 1939?

Sources:

Andrews, J. (2008). Home: A memoir of my early years. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Women legionnaires hold fete. (1939, June 24). Surrey Advertiser and County Times, p. 7.

© 2025, Brett Farmer. All Rights Reserved.

[just-french-me-up]

'ao3 needs a like and dislike button'

what you need, my algorithm-rotten minded friend, is a grip

[eroticlamb]

Kinetica Art Fair, 2012, featuring 'Pony' by Tim Lewis  (video source)

edit: i feel the need to specify that this is a robot for everyone who's confused 😭

[time-woods]

strawberries

[lokorum]

jon needs a door and i need a fucking break from this weather uhhh

music from the..floor?? ♪┏(・o･)┛♪

[ambar-telumendil]

I mean, this could be canon 👀

[catgirltitties]

[brightdeadthing]

Come. And Be My Baby, Maya Angelou

[patronsaintofweepingmothers]

2005

[whore-man]

if there was ever a tv adaptation of the magnus archives i think sasha should be played by the same person as notsasha the whole time.

there are perhaps a few polaroids shown briefly in the background with someone you don't recognize during s1, but they disappear in s2.

in the end, the viewer doesn't remember the 'real' sasha either, because she was never acting in the show. all you have is memories of notsasha.

the first time we actually see the actor in the pictures from s1 is in the flashbacks at the beginning of s5; sasha and tim talking, jon's birthday, sweet memories that just- don't seem quite right, even though you know this is the true version.

[skyrigel]

What's the point if ur ship isn't fucking against the canon with ao3 as lube

[kyri45]

[digitalmemoriez]

✫･ﾟ*.2009･ﾟ✫*.

[roeswater]

[crystalizedbutterflywings]

AU where the others find out Jon is going to explore the tunnels in Season 2 and forcefully tag along (Sasha is alive and everything is fine)

I made a part 2!